


Gifted

by PsychoGenius



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 08:57:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19943527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychoGenius/pseuds/PsychoGenius
Summary: Marvin's mother warned him not to use his powers in front of the villagers.But when two kids' lives are at stake, Marvin has to decide if hiding his secret is worth it anymore.





	Gifted

He had a gift.

Marvin had known from a young age that he was peculiar. Not just in the sense that he was different from the other kids in his town. He was different from everyone, all because of a certain gift.

His mother told him that the proper term was _witch_ , but Marvin didn't necessarily like that word. Every time someone in the town mentioned a witch, they did so in hushed voices with fear in their eyes. Marvin didn't want to be associated with a scary story you tell kids to keep them out of the woods.

Although, Marvin didn't understand why people were so afraid of those who could wield magic. When he was around ten, he asked his mother about it.

"Mom," Marvin had asked, "will they still be scared of me if I use safe spells? Like the magician that used to come here?"

"There's a reason you don't see the magician anymore."

Marvin stared up at his mother, a strong, hardworking woman. She was the sole provider of the family, and she raised her son with a clear view of the life around him. She wasn't strict, she just knew how unsafe the world was for magic users. Just like many times before, there was no smile on her face as she told her son the truth.

"The townspeople called him a Satan worshipper. They thought that his magic, which he only used to perform simple tricks, was to be used as a weapon." She knelt down in front of Marvin, gripping his shoulders.

"Marvin, they did something horrible to him. I don't want them to do something like that to you. Promise me you'll never use your magic in front of others. Promise me."

And he did.

Marvin's mother told him to never use his powers in front of anyone. They wouldn't understand. They wouldn't know that people that were born with the gift had no connection to Satan.

Unfortunately, Marvin could no longer pursue his dream to share his magic with others as a magician.

So, Marvin decided instead to become a _musician_.

That's not just a malapropism, Marvin actually loved music. So did his mother actually. And they were both wonderful at playing numerous instruments. Marvin's mother said that those who could use magic were better in tune with their environment and could feel rhythm and notice pitch changes quicker.

Marvin was especially fond of the piano.

He would play it inside of his mother's little bakery, and he continued to play it there. Even after she passed.

While he waited for his treats to finish baking, Marvin would play soft music on the piano. Customers would enjoy the music, and when they received their baked goods, they continued to listen to him play. Of course, Marvin still practiced magic in private, but as far as he was concerned, playing music was another way to give some magic to others.

He would've been fine living like this.

"Marvin! Good to see ya!"

A man with a long, red beard smiled as he walked into the bakery. Marvin smiled back, stepping away from the piano to go and grab an apron. "Top of the morning to ya Mr. Walsh. How's Timothy?" Mr. Walsh smiled as he stood at the piano. "He's fine, got into a little trouble with the McCarthy boys last week. His mother's wringing his neck about it. They were messing around the lake. Now, we told him to stay away from it while it's frozen, who knows what could happen if he fell in. We might scare him from going in there with a witch tale. I mean, I have heard talks of witch occults meeting there."

Marvin bit his lip as he bent down to take some rolls out of the oven, having already anticipated Mr. Walsh's arrival. "You don't say." Marvin closed the oven and walked over to the counter. He then began placing the rolls into a basket for Mr. Walsh.

"Yeah, boy's got a good head, I'm sure we won't have to worry about it anyhow."

Marvin forced a smile as he handed Mr. Walsh the basket full of freshly baked rolls. "Here ya go Mr. Walsh."

Mr. Walsh beamed as he took the basket. "Always the best Marvin! Why don't you play me something on the piano. I don't just come for the rolls!"

Laughing, Marvin walked back to the piano. He sat down at the bench and placed his fingers on the keys, starting a soft melody. Mr. Walsh listened, smiling.

Marvin had only made it halfway through the song before the door to his bakery swung open. Mr. McCarthy himself ran in, panting.

Marvin smiled. "Ah! We were just talking about you-"

"One of my boys came back. Timothy fell in the ice."

Mr. Walsh gasped as Marvin stood. "Timothy! He's going to drown!" Mr. Walsh ran out the door with Mr. McCarthy.

Marvin almost followed, but he thought about the distance between the bakery and the lake. There was no way they could make it in time.

But Marvin could.

Taking a deep breath, Marvin muttered a teleportation spell that could take him straight to the lake. Green smoke enveloped his body, obstructing his vision. Once it cleared, he felt the bitter chill of the outside. He was standing a few meters behind one of the Mr. McCarthy's sons (Isaac?). The boy didn't notice Marvin's appearance, he was too focused on the ice in front of him.

"Timmy! Timmy!"Isaac cried. Marvin ran over to the edge of the frozen lake and spotted a hole in the ice further in.

"M-Mr. McLoughlin!" Isaac sobbed, pointing at the ice. "T-Timmy went in, but I told him it was too thin!"

"Just stay here Isaac." Marvin said. He looked at the ice, cautiously placing his own foot on it.

It cracked almost immediately, and Marvin quickly retracted. He couldn't walk on it for sure, but he had to find Timothy. The ice made it almost impossible though. It would be easier if it was gone, than Timothy would float up, or at least be splashing around.

_He could..._

No. He wasn't supposed to use his powers.

_But Timothy-_

No! It's a fucking horrible idea-

_But-_

No-

_Tim-_

"Fuck it!" Marvin raised his arms and mumbled a fire spell. His palms radiated heat as flames emitted from his fingertips. Marvin then pointed his hands at the ice, starting to melt it.

"C'mon..." Marvin growled, increasing the heat.

It didn't take too long before the ice had melted significantly. A small hand broke through the slushy surface of the water, and then Timothy popped his head up, gasping for air.

"Hold on Timmy!" Marvin called. He stopped the fire spell and dove into the icy water. The frigidness bit at his skin, but Marvin didn't care. He grabbed Timothy from the water and swam back to the lakeshore.

Once he was back at the shore, he laid Timothy on the dirt. Isaac stared at Marvin in wonder as he ran to Timothy. He placed his little hands on Timothy's face. "He's freezing!"

Marvin mumbled the heat spell again, and placed his hands near Timothy. The flames warmed both Marvin and the little boy.

"Witch!"

Gasping, Marvin retracted the flames. He turned to see both Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Walsh standing only a few yards back. They had just arrived.

But they had seen enough.

His eyes widened as the men stalked closer. "Witch! He's a witch!"

 _No. This wasn't happening._ Marvin stood up, stepping away from the kids. "I-I-"

"Dad, he saved Timmy! He did! I saw it-"

"He's using his magic to mess with your head." Mr. McCarthy cut his son off. "He was about to burn little Timothy."

"I wasn't! I swear it! He's freezing. He was in the lake a-and I pulled him out. I was just warming him back up!" Marvin looked at both men pleadingly. They've known him for years, they knew Marvin wouldn't hurt anyone.

_Right?!_

Mr. Walsh ran forward and scooped Timothy up into his arms.

"Stay away! Satanist!!"

Marvin shook his head, green smoke swirling around him. The men backed away in fear.

"I didn't hurt anyone." Marvin backed away as he was once again engulfed in smoke. Once it cleared he was inside his own house, alone.

——————————————————

It wasn't until a few hours later that Marvin heard a knock at his door.

Cautiously, Marvin opened it. There were a number of villagers gathered, Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Walsh among them.

Marvin didn't even give them a chance to speak as he slammed his door shut and locked it. The villagers started banging their fists on it.

He needed to charm the doors, or put a barrier around the house. _Something!_

No spells came to mind, he was just too petrified to think of any. He ran to the bookshelf and scanned the titles, looking for ones that held protection spells.

It sounded like they were ramming something against the door.

 _Bingo_. He pulled one of the books off the shelves. _Guarding_ _of Self and Others._ His fingers fumbled as he opened it.

A window broke.

Marvin gasped as he ran upstairs, clutching the book to his chest. He bolted into his bedroom and slammed his door shut, locking it. Trembling, he frantically flipped through the pages.

Something slammed into his bedroom door. Then it happened again, this time breaking the door down. Marvin shrieked and ran further into his room, reading the first spell on the page. It sent the man who had broken the door down tumbling back.

His small moment of triumph fleeted as soon as it came, for there were more people behind the man. Two of them ran into the room, and Marvin was only able to recite the first part of a spell before he was tackled onto the floor. His book was wretched from his hands while a cloth was shoved into his mouth. He gagged, but the person above him kept a hand clasped over his mouth, preventing him from spitting it out.

The person above him pulled Marvin up and kept him flush against their chest, pinning his arms to his sides with one arm and using the other to cover his mouth. They forced him out of the bedroom and down the stairs, the other villagers trailing behind them.

"A witch! A bloody witch!"

"He runs the bakery, he must've been poisoning us for years!"

"Scum! Satanist!"

Those he had called friends shouted at him. Marvin trembled as he was dragged in front of the mayor. He looked down at Marvin in disgust.

"We'll hold a trial tomorrow. Keep him in a cell until then. Do not remove that cloth."

Marvin could do nothing as he was dragged through the gathering of angry villagers.

————————————————

The next day, Marvin was taken from his cell. He was tired, hungry, and thirsty, but no one seemed to give a damn. Why would they? All those years of care and respect meant nothing now that they knew he was a witch.

Nothing.

It all meant nothing.

Marvin shuffled forward, his teeth grinding on the cloth in his mouth as he looked around him. Some children were watching in confusion, often asking their parents what was going on.

 _They're going to grow up and do the same thing._ Marvin thought. A horrible cycle.

Eventually they made it to the clearing where the witch trials were held. Marvin had never attended one. He could never. He would never.

They made Marvin stand on the stage as a man bound his arms behind his back. Another person placed a noose over Marvin's head.

He looked over the gathering of the villagers, tears pricking his eyes. He remembered playing songs for most of them, that and baking delicious pastries for them.

The mayor stepped up to his own podium and cleared his throat.

"We are gathered today for the trial of Marvin McLoughlin, the town baker. He has been accused of witchcraft, the devil's gift. If the following statements are true, he will be sentenced to death."

Marvin held his breath as he looked out over the villagers.

"Mr. McLoughlin used witchcraft to start a fire on the lake." The mayor looked out at crowd. "The only witnesses we have to this statement are Mr. Walsh and Mr. McCarthy. Would both men stand."

Both Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Walsh stood. Marvin remembered when it was the McCarthy boys' birthday and he had baked a huge cake for them.

"Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Walsh, is it true that you both witnessed Mr. McLoughlin using witchcraft to create fire and try to burn the children?

 _He melted the ice to save their kids! Timothy had fallen in the ice! He needed to be warmed!_ Marvin wanted to scream it.

Both men nodded as Mr. McCarthy spoke. "Yes, we had arrived just in time to see the witch setting fire to the ice, endangering our little ones."

The mayor nodded. "You may sit." He then spoke to the crowd. "Mr. McLoughlin also used witchcraft to attack our fellow villagers as they tried to restrain him from hurting anyone else."

 _They broke into my house!_ Tears fell down Marvin's face. This was stacked against him. It was always stacked against the witch. Once you were brought into the stage, your fate was sealed.

The villagers who were present hollered some form of confirmation. The mayor nodded. "By both of these accusations being true, we have confirmed that Mr. McLoughlin is in fact a witch. His punishment will be carried out."

People began shouting. _Burn in Hell! Pay for your sins!_ Marvin's eyes widened as the executioner walked up to the lever that would release the section of floor below him currently keeping him alive. He tried to run, but he was shoved back into place, the rope suddenly feeling like a python around his neck.

_It can't end like this!_

_It can't!_

_Something else has to happen, this isn't how it ends!_

The lever was pulled, and the floor gave out underneath Marvin. His eyes went wide as he kicked his feet, trying to somehow wriggle his way free. He gagged and coughed as his face and lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. He cried. He cried as the nothingness inside of him suffocated him.

It felt both too long and too quick before he finally stopped kicking, the last ounce of life leaving his body.

He was wrong, it wasn't a gift.

It was a fucking death sentence.

**Author's Note:**

> He did what he thought was right.


End file.
